The Forgotten Secret: The Lost City
by RoguePyrate
Summary: Eight years ago, Harry thought he had lost the one girl who understood him. Upon finding her again, can he bring himself to risk losing her again? But now they they hold the power of the Charmed Ones, can he hope to keep Hermione safe forever? HHr.
1. Hell Hath No Fury

Summery: Harry always loved Hermione, but she died before he told her. Now, eight years later, the Order is in search of an ancient weapon that could end the war forever. The Charmed Ones are believed dead and the war against Voldemort couldn't be going worse. When Harry, Hermione, and a girl from Harry's past wind up with Charmed Powers, the Order of the Phoenix holds out hope for the future. But even the incredible might of the Power of Three may not be enough to stop the great evil gathering to challenge them. Victory may require the revelation of a terrible secret Hermione is harboring, a secret she doesn't even know about...

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A/N: Hope you guys enjoy! If you notice any mistakes, let me know.

Disclaimer: Well, I own socks… and this bag of chips I'm eating, and I sorta own this computer (I'm still paying for it) but alas, I do not own Harry Potter or Charmed.

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Chapter 1

Hell Hath No Fury…

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HOGWARTS CASTLE, NOVEMBER 3rd, 2006.

Harry traipsed along the corridor to the headmaster's office. He gave the password (Wildfire Wizbangs) and stepped onto the spiraling staircase. He rode it higher and higher, becoming slightly dizzy as he rose. Soon enough, he had reached the top and stepped off the stairs. Ahead, a tall oak door stood. Harry was about to knock when Dumbledore's voice sounded from inside.

"Enter." He said. Harry pushed open the door. Dumbledore sat at his desk, pouring over a aged piece of parchment. Piles of used parchment littered the desk. A large, red and gold Phoenix sat on its perch, watching Harry approach the headmaster's desk with large eyes.

"Harry, welcome. Please, sit down. Would you like a lemon drop?" Harry shook his head and sat down.

"No, sir." he said. He waited for Dumbledore to say more. When he did not, Harry said,

"Erm… you said you had something to tell me?" Dumbledore looked up.

"Oh, yes… indeed, I did." Dumbledore folded up the old sheet of parchment and tucked it away in his robes. "You do recall meeting the Halliwell sisters, correct?" Harry nodded.

"The Charmed Ones, of course. Why?"

"Because," Dumbledore said softly. "we have received information that they have died." Harry's jaw dropped.

"Excuse me?"

"The Charmed Ones are dead, Harry. We believe they were killed by Lord Voldemort because of their work for us."

"Damn…" Harry muttered.

"It seems Lord Voldemort is killing people who have helped us in the past… much like Hermione." Harry's eyes narrowed.

"Voldemort didn't _kill _Hermione." Harry said, his voice shaking with anger. "He destroyed her. The things he did to her…"

"I apologize, Harry. I understand how close you two were…." Dumbledore lowered his gaze to his desk, examining another sheet of parchment.

"What's more," Dumbledore continued after several moments. "we now have word that another witch who had been assisting the Order over the past few years has recently been attacked. She was wounded, but she'll live. Even so, I want you to go to her home. Her work is vital to our operations. If she were to die, the loss to the Order would be incalculable."

"If she's that important, why send only me?"

"Because I do not want to attract attention to the fact that she is still alive."

"Won't the Death Eaters who failed to kill her report back to Voldemort?" Harry asked.

"Alas, no, they will not. She killed them." Harry's widened.

"She sounds like my kind of girl." Harry said. "Who is she?"

"You'll find out when you meet her." Dumbledore said, now very interesting in the fingernails of his left hand. Harry sighed.

"Fine… _where _is she?" Dumbledore looked up at him.

"You are going South."

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NORTHERN COAST, ANTARCTICA.

"When Dumbledore said 'South', he didn't indicate how far South I was going to go." Harry growled. "Dumbledore _must _be going mad. Why would _anyone _live in this desolate place voluntarily?" Harry trudged slowly through the snow, toward a tiny, snow covered hut which sat in the distance, smoke curling from its chimney. He reached the hut before he froze to death, and knocked on the wooden door. He heard hurried footsteps, a lock clicking, and the door opened. Harry's eyes widened when he realized who he was seeing.

"H… Hermione?" Harry stammered. Without another word, he keeled over backward in a dead faint.

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"Harry…? Harry? Harry?" Harry jumped and sat bolt upright. His eyes fell on the curvaceous young woman leaning over him and he leapt to his feet, pulling his wand from his robe pocket.

"You… you… you're supposed to be _dead_." He said, staring at her through wide eyes. "I saw you die." Hermione shrugged and sat down on the couch where Harry had been laying moments before.

"I'm over that." she said, with the air of someone commenting on the weather. Harry kept his wand pointed straight at her.

"Hermione, you died in St. Mungo's. I sat by your bedside with half a dozen others when it happened." He said, scanning the room.

"Harry, calm down." Hermione said. Her voice was soft and very quiet, she didn't even seem to be concerned about the wand pointed in her direction.

"Calm down? _Calm down?! _Hermione, you died _eight years ago_."

"But here I am…" Hermione said airily. "I assure you, Harry, I'm just as alive as you are."

"But _how_?" Harry asked. "You died, I spoke at your funeral. Magic can't bring back the dead, Mione." Hermione nodded in agreement.

"No, it cannot." Hermione said. "I did die, I don't deny that…" She paused, apparently deciding what to say next.

"You've heard of the Elders before, have you not?" she asked. Harry nodded.

"Yeah, I heard one of the Halliwell sisters mention them once. They're like… the ultimate rulers of good magic, or some such?"

"Well, I wouldn't say they're the 'ultimate rulers of good magic', Harry, but… after my death, they made me a Whitelighter."

"A what?" Harry asked, perplexed.

"It's a sort of guardian angel, but different…" Hermione held a hand to her head. "Now, could you please stop asking me questions?"

"I… I'm sorry, I just… You… you're alive. I thought… why didn't you come back? Why didn't you tell us about this?" Hermione looked blearily up at him.

"If you're going to keep asking questions, do you mind if I lie down?" Harry shrugged.

"Sure." he said. Hermione leaned back across the couch. She let out a long sigh and did not speak. Harry took a moment to survey his surroundings. With the shock of finding himself in the company of someone he believed dead, he had not even given a single thought to his whereabouts. He stood in a well furnished, high ceiling room, decorated in with an eighteenth century style theme. The room itself was dark and he could only see a short distance outside the room.

"Hermione," he said suspiciously. "where, exactly, are we?"

"Antarctica." Hermione responded, sleepily.

"Obviously," Harry said. "I mean, where in Antarctica? There's no way this room is inside the tiny hut I arrived at earlier."

"Oh, but it is. The hut outside is only the result of a spell. It's mainly in place to keep Muggles from approaching, only instead of the hut you saw, they see nothing but frozen tundra.

"So why was I able to see it?" Harry inquired.

"Because I removed the spell when Dumbledore informed me you would be coming. I didn't think you would want to wander around out there for very long… from what I understand, it's quite cold outside. This building is much larger than what you saw outside, but I didn't think it wise for a four story house to suddenly appear in the middle of nowhere."

"Who cares? It's not as though there's anyone around to see it." Harry said, examining the large, stone fireplace.

"Actually, I've noticed several ships in the sea nearby recently and a helicopter or two will pass overhead from time to time, but most importantly, we don't want _Death Eaters _to find this place." Harry turned to look at her, an expression of dawning comprehension on his face.

"So _that's _why you're living out here in this godforsaken place. You're in hiding."

"Essentially, yes. More importantly, my work is in hiding. After the attack on my old home, Dumbledore thought it best to relocate myself to a place much more… inconspicuous."

"So, he sent you to the bottom of the world?" Hermione shrugged.

"It's not so bad. Anyway, I suppose I should show you to your room…" Hermione tried to sit up, gave a soft yelp of pain, and fell back again, breathing deeply.

"Hermione?" Harry said, hurrying to her side, a look of concern on his face.

"I'm fine…" Hermione said, doing her best to push Harry away. She managed to sit up, but Harry noticed the grimace on her face and the way her hand trembled as she used it to steady herself.

"Come on." she said, standing to her feet and swaying slightly. Harry followed her out of the room and into a long, dark corridor. As they walked, Harry noticed Hermione was moving gingerly, indicating broken ribs. She walked with a slight limp and when they reached the foot of a staircase, she took each stair slowly and with care. Even though she did her best to hide it, Harry could hear small whimpers of pain emitting from her with every step. Hermione led him all the way up to the forth floor. The deeper they went into the house, the more amazed Harry became. They traveled down at least seventeen different corridors, all of which were furnished in the same style as the room he had awoken in. On the third floor, they passed through a massive library that extended from the ground floor all the way to the fourth, even though Harry was certain he hadn't seen the library he they were on the other two floors. After about ten minutes of walking, they arrived on the fourth floor and Hermione led him a short distance down a corridor to the left and opened the third door on the right. This room, like all the others, had an eighteenth century theme.

"You can pick another one if you don't like it." Hermione told him from the doorway.

"No, no…" Harry said, walking toward a sliding door which led to a balcony. "This is wonderful." He slid the door open and gasped. "Hermione, how…" Hermione moved toward him, out onto the balcony. Below them lay a sandy beach. A vast ocean lapped calmly at it's edges and a blood red sunset was visible on the horizon. Hermione smiled.

"Oh, the house just likes to show off a bit." she explained.

"But it's not even cold out here." Harry said.

"Magic can do a great many things, Harry." The sun slowly dipped beneath the edge of the sea and the balcony became bathed in moonlight. Harry's eyes shifted from the darkening view and onto Hermione. He was amazed at the difference eight years could make in a person. When he had last seen her, Hermione had had a large mane of bushy brown hair and chocolate eyes. The clothing she had worn didn't reveal just who attractive Hermione really was. Now, her hair was almost waist length and rather wavy, the bushiness was completely gone. Her eyes were now hazel and her clothing, a fluffy white bathrobe hugged her figure nicely. Without warning, Hermione turned to leave the balcony. As she did, the thick and fluffy bathrobe slid off her left shoulder. For a reason he was never able to discover, Harry turned to watch her go. His eyes watched the robe slip just far enough to reveal the existence of several deep cuts on her back.

"Hermione." Harry said suddenly.

"Yes?" She asked, turning around and tugging the robe back into place. Harry reached out and caught her hand before she could finish and gently pulled the robe off her. Harry could hardly believe his eyes. The skin not hidden under her thin silk nightgown was bruised. Cuts and scrapes coursed across her flesh. Harry could see the outline of a numerous bandages covering more wounds beneath the white material.

"My God, Hermione… what did they to you?" Hermione, who was a head shorter than Harry, looked up at him, a pained expression in her hazel eyes. "I thought you were a Whitelighter. You would be dead, how could anyone hurt you?" Hermione wrenched her robe from Harry's hands, but didn't put it back on. Instead, she draped it over the back of a chair and collapsed back on Harry's bed, one hand over her eyes.

"I'm not a Whitelighter anymore…"

"Then how…" Harry began.

"If you would _shut up _for a minute and stop interrupting, I might be able to tell you the story." Hermione said, her voice cold. Harry fell silent.

"I _was_ a Whitelighter for a while. I looked after my charges for about a year, but… but I felt… I gave it up. I went to Dumbledore. He appealed to the Elders to allow me to return to Earth. I've been helping the Order ever since."

"Doing what?" Harry asked.

"A lot of things, actually. I've been making potions and spells for the Order, along with something else…"

"What?" Harry inquired.

"I… can't tell you. It's more than my life's worth to reveal what I'm working on. But, just know that whatever it is, it could possibly end the war."

"Fine," Harry said. He knew Hermione well enough to know that pressing the issue wouldn't make her tell him anything. "what about these injuries? Shouldn't you be in St. Mungo's?" Hermione sighed and sat up.

"Yes, I should." Hermione said. "Dumbledore didn't think it was wise for me to remain in a public hospital for long, so I've been taking care of myself." Harry moved to her side and took her hand.

"Well, that's over. I'm staying here now, so I'll be taking care of you."

"I don't _need _anyone to take care of me." Hermione exclaimed. "I am quite capable of taking care of myself."

"Hermione, I lost you once. Now fate, or luck, or… whatever has brought us back together. I'm not going to lose you again." Hermione gazed into his emerald eyes. She saw the defiance reflected in them. Her shoulders drooped in a show of defeat.

"Fine." She said quietly. "But if you're going to stay here, you're going to have to do a few things." Harry chuckled.

"And what's that?" A playful smiled crossed Hermione's face.

"Do you know how to cook?"

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A/N: Well that's it for now. Please tell me if you liked it, hated it, or believe it should be boiled in hot oil and run through a meat grinder. Suggestions, criticism (constructive or otherwise) are welcome. Cheers!


	2. Atlantis

wasu: Thanks!

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Chapter 2

Atlantis

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"This is amazing, Harry. How did you learn to do this?"

"Let's just say I learned from Aunt Petunia."

"She taught you how to cook this well?" Hermione inquired, looking up at Harry from across the kitchen table. Harry laughed.

"Well, not exactly. It was more… learning by doing. The Dursleys always made me cook for them."

"Looking back, that was definitely a good thing. This is delicious." Harry shrugged. They ate in silence for several more minutes. Harry found himself staring at Hermione, occasionally missing his mouth with his fork, sending small amounts of egg flying over his shoulder. The seventh time this happened he brought the utensil up to his mouth with such force that it almost slipped out of his hand along with the bite of egg, which shot across the room and splattered against the wall. Fortunately, Hermione seemed lost in thought and had not yet noticed Harry's mess. Laying down his fork in an attempt to avoid launching any more inter-kitchen ballistic eggs, he cleared his throat.

"So," he asked, casting around desperately for something to say. Hermione looked up at him expectantly.

'Great,' Harry thought. 'I'll _have _to say something now. Why don't I ever think these things through before I open my mouth?'

"Err…" Harry muttered, noticing Hermione's curious gaze. "Why did you decide to become a Whitelighter? Were you afraid of death?" Hermione lowered her gaze to the floor. Apparently she had mistaken Harry's thirty second hesitation as concern for how to phrase his question, because she did not press the issue.

"No, I wasn't afraid to die. I was given the opportunity to help people…. I took it."

"Well, I'm glad you did." Harry said, vanishing the bits of egg on the floor behind him with an Obliteration Charm while Hermione wasn't looking. "The world needs you." Hermione chuckled.

"I don't know about all that…" Hermione said, pulling her bathrobe more tightly around herself.

"Come on, Mione. You're living way out here, working for the Order. I can't say I know anyone else that would be willing to do that." Hermione studied him closely for a moment.

"Do you want to see something?" she asked.

"It depends," Harry said laughing. "are you going to take all your clothes off or leave the underwear?"

"I'm glad to see your glowing sense of humor is still intact." Hermione said, unable to resist a grin. "Although, did you once say that to Ginny and she slapped you?"

"No, no." said Harry, shaking his head. "It was Luna and she cursed me with seven different types of boils."

"Oh, yeah." said Hermione, a look of remembrance crossing her face. "Anyway, I _was_ being serious. I thought you might be interested in some of what I'm working on." Harry cleared away the dishes and then followed Hermione back through the large house.

"Where is your room?" Harry asked as they walked.

"Across from yours, at the moment." Hermione responded.

"'At the moment'? What does that mean?" Harry inquired.

"It means that this house is built remarkably like Hogwarts. Rooms and staircases move, some of the walls are doors pretending and vice versa. It's all designed to be a security measure against attacks. The house will give anyone who it trusts a clear path to any location, but anyone the house views as a threat will easily become trapped and lost inside."

"Did Dumbledore come up with that?" Harry asked as Hermione pulled back a curtain blocking a hidden passage and ushered him through.

"No," she said, pulling the curtain back into place. "I did."

"Not that I should be surprised." Harry admitted. After several minutes of walking, they arrived in a cavernous chamber deep under the house. The room was damp and very cold. Various tables, platforms, and other devices filled the massive room.

"What is all this stuff?" Harry asked, examining a tank full of a gelatinous green liquid.

"Weapons, mostly." Hermione explained, pulling Harry a few inches back from the tank. "That's a Smothering Solution." she told him. "It covers a person's entire body and remains in place as long as its victim runs out of air."

"You made this?" Harry asked. Hermione nodded. Hermione led him over to a simmering cauldron.

"This is a Shield Potion I've been working on for years. There's something missing, but I'll find what it is eventually."

"What's this?" Harry asked, his attention drawn to a five foot wide and ten foot high wall of was appeared to be multicolored jewels floating alone in midair.

"I wish I knew." Hermione said, gently touching one of the larger crystals with her forefinger. The crystals rippled as though they were floating on water. "Dumbledore found this under Lake Erie in the United States. He had no idea what it was, but it's clearly magical, and could be dangerous. Many things down here _are _dangerous, Harry. Take this for example." Hermione indicated a large, jet black diamond which was spinning rapidly on its point.

"Why is that dangerous?" Harry asked. Hermione waved her arm in front of it. The diamond shattered. Billions of tiny shards shot toward her, only to be reflected by a Shield Charm Hermione performed. Unfortunately, one of the shards managed to edge around the shield and imbed itself in Hermione's right shoulder. Hermione let out a small yelp of pain and collapsed to the floor. Harry rushed to her side. He gently removed the shard, which glided across the room and reformed with the diamond. Hermione looked up at him.

"Thanks." she said, holding her hand over the wound, which was bleeding profusely.

"What was that?"

"I have no idea what it is called, but it seems to be a diamond with an incredible defense mechanism. Those shards contain a poison so deadly even the tiniest amount would be fatal."

"But, then shouldn't we go get an antidote or…"

"There isn't one." Hermione said. "But only the larger shards seem to contain the poison. The smaller ones are simply to cause pain… or to do something we haven't been able to discover yet." Harry's eyes traveled across many of the other objects in the room while Hermione provided a running commentary on each one. They passed a four foot long needle that split into a million tiny needles, then reformed into the one large needle again, all the while emitting a faint hissing noise. Hermione pointed out a pool of jet black liquid that seemed completely normal until Hermione extending a large piece of pipe into it and it was sucked from her hands.

"What's through there?" Harry asked when they reached the far end of the room. Hermione looked up from the leather book that was locked with seventy-two different types of locks that neither of them could figure out how to open. Hermione studied his expression closely.

"Dumbledore doesn't want anyone but him and myself to go in there." she said.

"Because that's where my most secret work takes place." Hermione explained. Harry sighed.

"Mione, if you can't trust me to keep the Order's secrets, who can you trust?" Hermione glared at him.

"Fine, I'll show you, but I can't tell you much about it. Dumbledore will be furious if he finds out." Hermione tapped the door with her wand. A loud series of clicks sounded inside the door and it slid upward into the ceiling. Hermione motioned for him to enter and sealed the door behind them. The room was very dark and even colder than the room outside. Hermione lit several torches in brackets on the walls and summoned Harry forward. She led him onto a raised platform in the center of the room. Perched on the platform was a large structure. It was a grayish-green in color and was shaped very much like the letter A, only without the crossbeam in the middle.

"And just what is it?" Harry asked, walking around to the opposite side of the structure.

"I don't know…" Hermione said regrettably. "It was found on a Caribbean island two years ago. Harry made to walk under the shape, but Hermione shouted,

"No! Don't go under it!"

"Why…?" Harry asked, stepping back. Hermione scooped up a rock from the floor and hurled it straight at Harry. It arced across the room and passed through the A-shaped structure. Harry held up his hands to protect his face, but the rock didn't hit him. The rock had vanished completely.

"Where did it…"

"Go?" Hermione finished his question. "I haven't the foggiest. The point is, anything that goes through there disappears. I have several theories as to way may be happening. It's possible that anything that passes through is instantly incinerated. It is also possible that it leads to another realm or even a parallel universe."

"A parallel universe?" Harry asked skeptically. Hermione shrugged.

"It's just a theory." she told him. "When dealing with something like this, one has to examine all possibilities."

"And Dumbledore didn't want you to show me this?" Harry asked. "You haven't told me anything important."

"Because I don't know anything important _to _tell you." Hermione said, extinguishing the torches and opening the door. "Believe me, I wish I did." Harry led the way back through the room with all the different weapons and artifacts and opened the door that led back upstairs. He held it open for Hermione to pass through. Hermione gently tapped to of the largest crystals on the wall of floating jewels. She watched the jewels ripple with a curious expression on her face. She turned stepped through the door Harry was keeping open. Harry followed her, closing the door behind him. If he had taken a moment longer to close the door, Harry would have seen a beam of blue-white energy leap from a huge crystal at the top of the wall and soar across the room and through the sealed door at the other it. The beam circled the structure and then neatly formed the crossbeam missing from the A-shaped formation.

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	3. Lord Voldemort's Secret Surprise

Chapter 3

Lord Voldemort's Secret Surprise

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Harry and Hermione sat in the library late that night. They drank a special tea Hermione had made and Harry found it to be quite possibly the best tasting drink he had ever tasted. The only source of light in the room was the flickering flames of the fire in the fireplace.

"You haven't said," Harry began, after ten minutes of drinking in silence. "this library…"

"It contains every book ever written and extends through every floor of this house." Hermione said, not looking up from the bottom of her cup.

"Oh." was all Harry said. Hermione placed her empty cup on the coffee table between their chintz armchairs and shifted so that her legs were resting over one arm of her chair and her back leaned again the other. She gazed into the blazing fire, Harry could see the flames reflected in her sad, tired, hazel eyes. Harry soon found he couldn't look away from her. She was such an image of pure beauty and elegance, but she had an aura of innocence and strength… as well as a great pain. Harry wanted to say something comforting to her, but he couldn't think of anything. Instead, he reached out and took her hand. Although he would have rather been forced to live in the Forbidden Forest that admit it, he had never done anything more difficult than extending his hand twelve inches to take a hold on hers. This sudden contact caused her to turn and look at him. Harry simply smiled. They sat in silence for another half hour. Suddenly, a charred piece of parchment shot out of the fire. Harry stood up and snatched the parchment off the floor.

"It's from Dumbledore." Harry said. "He wants to see me in his office in ten minutes."

"You should go." Hermione said, noticing Harry's reluctance. "If this is important enough that Dumbledore had to use the Floo Network to send you a message, you need to hurry." Harry nodded.

"Fine. I won't be long, Mione. Be careful." Harry stood and winded his way through the house and to the front door. He opened it, stepped out into the snow, and Disapparated.

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Harry pushed open the door to the Headmaster's office. Professor Dumbledore looked up at him, an expression of curiosity on his face.

"Ah, Harry. It's good to see you, but… _why _am I seeing you? You were to remain with Miss Granger." Harry shook his head.

"Sir… I just received a letter from you from the Floo Network. It… it said you wanted to see me at once." Dumbledore heaved a deep sigh.

"Harry, I am afraid you have been fooled. I can only assume that Lord Voldemort has seen fit to lure you away from Miss Granger. You _must _return immediately. Go!"

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Harry reappeared in the deep snow right where he had left earlier. An oddly green glow illuminated the snow and Harry's attention turned to the sky. A sickly green skull with a snake slithering from its mouth floated sinisterly over the house. Harry knew this symbol well. It was Voldemort's sign, the Dark Mark… the mark Death Eaters sent into the sky after they killed. Harry hurried toward the door and raced inside. The entrance hall was a mess. Debris littered the room and the corridors that led off from it. Small fires burned here and there and Harry edged slowly through the house, dreading what he would find. A jet of green light shot over his head. It hit the wall behind him and obliterated a five foot section of it. Harry raised his wand, but lowered it when he saw Hermione.

She sighed and ran over to him, flinging her arms around his neck.

"Hermione…" Harry gasped. "I… I thought… When I saw the Dark Mark…"

"I know." Hermione whispered, pulling away from him. "The Death Eaters attacked the moment you left, I…"

"I'm so sorry, Hermione." Harry said. "I shouldn't have left. Dumbledore didn't send the message after all."

"Yeah," Hermione said. "I figured as much." Hermione winced and Harry noticed that her hair was matted with blood. Her face and hands where cut and scratched and a long, deep gash ran the length of her left cheek. Her robe was splattered with blood and was torn and numerous places. Harry was just about to suggest that he take her to St. Mungo's or the Hogwarts hospital wing when a spell arced over Harry's shoulder. With strength that Harry would not have imagined, Hermione grabbed Harry's shirt and pulled him into a nearby room he had not entered before. Hermione drew her wand and looked to Harry, who already held his wand at the ready.

"Listen, this room connects to a passage that leads back out into the corridor." Hermione said, indicated a closed door on the opposite wall. "Circle around behind the Death Eaters. We'll have a better chance that way. I'll keep them distracted." Harry nodded and set off at a run. Hermione edged slowly back into the corridor just enough so that she could see the Death Eaters. There were four of them. Tall, dark, and masked, each of them gazing around cautiously. Hermione took aim and shouted,

"_Finite Incantatem_!" The spell tore down the corridor and hit one of the Death Eaters squarely in the chest. He was incinerated. Shouts of '_Stupefy!_' filled the air and lances of red light shot toward Hermione.

"_Protego!_" she shouted. A shimmering shield filled the space between Hermione and the approaching spells. The spells ricocheted off the shield and bounced into the walls and ceiling.

"_Aqua Eructo!_" Hermione exclaimed when the shield vanished. A jet of boiling water burst from the tip of Hermione's wand, scalding the Death Eater in its path.

"_Sectumsempra!_" One of the remaining Death Eaters shouted. Bloody gashes appeared on her skin. It was pain beyond pain. She began to lose consciousness. She fell to the floor, her wand slipping from her grasp. Somewhere above her, Hermione heard an angry shout.

"_Bombarda Maxima!_" Harry blasted the closest Death Eater out of existence. The remaining Death Eater turned and sent a jet of green light soaring toward Harry. Harry easily dodged it and shouted,

"_Depulso!_" The Death Eater was lifted off his feet and slammed into the wall. He finished the Death Eater with a blast of '_Reducto!_'.

"Hermione…" Harry whispered, kneeling at her side. "C'mon, we've got to get you to Hogwarts." Hermione shook her head.

"N… no, I… I've."

"Listen!" Harry shouted. "I already lost you once, I won't lose you again."

"But, Harry… I…" Hermione began breathlessly. Without warning, Harry leaned in and kissed her.

"For once," he said, drawing away. "just listen to me."

**HOSPITAL WING, HOGWARTS**

"How is she doing?"

"As well as can be expected, after everything she's been through." Harry released Hermione's hand and stood up to face the Headmaster.

"Very good, very good. I am certain Poppy is taking excellent care of her. Unfortunately, Miss Granger cannot remain here…"

"_What_?!" Harry exclaimed. "Sir, she needs medical attention. She has to stay here." Dumbledore shook his head.

"I am sorry, Harry. You simply do not understand our situation. To the rest of the world, she is dead….

"Sir, I don't mean to be rude… but ! Voldemort knows she's alive. He's sent Death Eaters to her home twice. I can't protect her all the time. She needs to be as Hogwarts where she'll be safe." Dumbledore's eyes narrowed. Harry could tell that the Headmaster was clearly unhappy, but Harry must have made a good point because Dumbledore slowly nodded.

"Very well, Harry. Miss Granger's house must be moved here. Her work is too delicate to be moved on its own. I will organize the transportation immediately. I will need you to accompany me to Antarctica. For now, however, you may remain with her." Dumbledore swept from the ward without waiting for a response. Harry turned back to Hermione and sat down in his chair beside her bed. He reached out and took her hand. Her beautiful hazel eyes fluttered open.

"H… Harry…?" she said in a cracked voice.

"Hey…" Harry whispered, smiling slightly. "How do you feel?"

"Do you remember that time Voldemort possessed you in the Ministry of Magic?" Hermione asked, her voice weak.

"Yeah…" Harry asked, not entire sure where she was going with this.

"Well, that would feel pretty good right now." Hermione explained, unable to refrain from smiling.

"Since when does Hermione Elizabeth Granger have a sense of humor?" Harry asked, brushing stray strands of hair away from Hermione's face. Hermione smiled, but did not answer.

"What has Dumbledore decided to do?" she asked instead, trying to sit up. She apparently deemed the rewards of achieving a sitting position not worth the pain she was experiencing and gave up.

"He's moving you here to Hogwarts. Dumbledore's down in Antarctica now prepar…" The rest of Harry's sentence was cut off by a high pitched scream from the far end of the ward. Two redheaded people were racing down the hospital ward at breakneck speed. Within seconds Ron and Ginny Weasley had reached Hermione's bed and were taking it in turns to ring her right hand, her left being too badly injured to touch.

"Hermione? How… We saw you… Dumbledore said…" Ginny spluttered while Ron simply looked stunned. Hermione looked up at Harry.

"They're worse than you were when you found out."

"At least they didn't faint." Harry muttered.

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Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny spent the day in the hospital wing. It took some time for Ron and Ginny to calm down after discovering Hermione was not dead. Ron seemed to be under the impression that he was simply seeing things and flatly refused to respond to anything she said. Only when she worked up the strength to sit up and slap him about the face did he consent to sit down with the other three. By evening, Ron and Ginny both had to leave. Ron needed to go see his wife, Luna Lovegood, who was no longer as odd as she had been when Harry had first met her. Ginny was off the Grimmauld Place, which still served as headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. Soon after Ron and Ginny's departure, Dumbledore arrived. He informed Harry and Hermione that the house could be magically transported the following morning. He also wished for Harry and Hermione to return to the house for the night. However, when Harry asked him why, he became mysteriously deaf and refused to say anything more.

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It was clear by dinner that night that Hermione was feeling better, or was at least letting her pain show much less. She insisted on cooking the evening meal herself, though became tired quickly and reluctantly allowed Harry to finish up. They ate by the fire in the library, Harry noticed that Hermione only responded to his statements, and seemed to have no desire to instigate conversation herself. She appeared to quickly become lost in thought when silence fell, her eyes watching the blazing fire. It was during these times that Harry couldn't help but stare at her. The way the light from the fire illuminated her soft, wavy hair was enthralling. He had never before considered Hermione to be a beautiful girl. Lovely, attractive, yes… but beautiful, that was something new. Hermione had never seemed to really care about her appearance, but perhaps death had caused her to realize just how short life was. In school, he rarely saw her out of her thick robes and she always carried that damn book bag. Now though, watching her in little more than a silk nightgown that had to be the most revealing article of clothing Harry had ever seen, she looked positively amazing. His eyes lingered hungrily on her full chest and elegant figure for so long that he was sure Hermione had noticed. In fact, her eyes flickered over to him more often than was normal, and he was certain he could see a small smile playing on her face during these occasions.

The room grew steadily darker around them until the only source of light in the room was the flickering fire. By eleven o'clock, Hermione began to show signs of wanting to go to bed. Harry led her upstairs and bade her goodnight at her bedroom door. Harry went into his room and sank onto his bed. Without changing clothes, he leaned back against the pillows and quickly fell asleep…

Harry stood on the Hogwarts grounds. Voldemort stood before him, eyes shining brightly. Hermione lay at his feet, clearly dead.

"You will lose everything you hold dear, Harry." Voldemort hissed. "I will start with her, and I will end with you." A flash of green light burst from Voldemort's wand and caught Harry full in the chest…

Harry awoke screaming into the night, his scar on fire. A soft pair of hands cupped his face gently. Hermione's face swam into view above him, gazing down upon him, looking terrified.

"Harry, what happened?" Hermione squeaked, stroking the top of his head in what she hoped was a soothing way. Harry did not answer, but began blindly feeling his way up her body.

"I… I saw… Voldemort. He… he said he would take everything I cared about away… including you… and he did." Hermione now understood why Harry was touching her in places that any other woman would have slapped him for touching. He had seen her death, and was determined to make sure he was really seeing her.

"It… it was just a dream." Hermione told him softly, knowing full well how often Harry's nightmares became reality. "He's just trying to hurt you, Harry. You can't let him… get to you this way." Harry swallowed.

"It's just… when I saw that he had killed you, I…"

"I know… I know." Hermione whispered, slipping into the bed with him. "But I'm not dead… well, not yet." she added as an afterthought.

"Voldemort knows you are still alive, Hermione." Harry told her, wrapping his arms tightly around her and resting his chin where her neck met her left shoulder. "He'll come for you."

"He already has," Hermione said. "and he will again. The thing is, he failed."

"Just barely. Madam Pomfrey said it was very likely that you wouldn't survive."

"But I did." Hermione said simply. "This is one of those things we cannot control, Harry." Hermione gently pushed Harry until he was lying on his back, then she began to use his chest as a pillow. Harry found her hand and took it in one of his own, while keeping his other arm wrapped protectively around her. Hermione soon fell asleep. Harry remained awake, listening to Hermione's soft, steady breathing and watching her chest rise and fall as she slept. He desperately wanted to sleep, but his thoughts continued to dwell on the girl in his arms. She had always been there for him. Whenever he had needed someone to talk to, someone other than Ron, he could always count on Hermione to listen. She'd gone with him down the trapdoor on the third floor. She had gotten herself petrified trying to find a way to stop Voldemort's Basilisk. She had stood with him against a hundred Dementors and risked death and expulsion trying to free Sirius. When no one, not even Ron, had believed he had not entered the Triwizard Tournament, she had been there… walking dozens of times around the lake with him, with offerings of toast and an attentive ear. She'd gone with him to the Department of Mysteries, risked everything and had nearly died. She was the one person in the world he knew would never turn her back on him. Even death had been unable to keep her from him. He wished he had the words to express his feelings to her, but he did not. He longed to explain how he admired her strength, her knowledge, her fiery passion, and her extraordinary ability to wield a wand. Harry, however, a never been good with words and consented to not make a fool of himself. He contented himself with gently stroking her dark hair. Just as Harry began to contemplate the rewards of attempting to fall asleep again, a stern voice spoke in his head.

'_Tell her how you feel_.'

'_Are you insane?_' a second voice asked, this one sounding a lot like Ron.

'_Of course not,_' the first voice argued. '_I'm merely stating what I think._'

'_She's your best friend!_' the second voice exclaimed. '_You wouldn't want to risk ruining that, would you?_'

'_But what if she feels the same way?_' the first voice countered. '_You'd feel like an idiot if she did and you never said anything._'

'_You know what Voldemort would do if he discovered how you felt._' the second voice said darkly. '_He would kill her just because she means so much to you._' The first voice began to speak again, but Harry shouted, 'Shut up!' which caused Hermione to awaken.

"Another dream?" she asked worriedly, rolling over and peering cautiously at him. Harry shook his head.

"No, no… I was just… talking to myself." He instantly wished he hadn't said this.

"Hermione…" Harry after a moment. "can I talk to you about something?" Hermione, who had rolled off him and now lay on his right side, looked over at him.

"Of course." she said, a note of curiosity in her voice.

"I really don't know how to say this… I'm not really good with this sort of thing, but… I just wanted to say that I find you to be… the most remarkable woman I have ever known. You've faced more than you should have had to in this war, and… and you've shown strength and courage beyond anything I could ever hope to have. I know that you will never leave me unless you have no choice. You proved that by coming back to me even after you died. Mione, I…" He took a deep breath. "I love you. I have for years, and… I've never known how to tell you, so I just… did it. I know you probably hate me now, and I…"

"Harry." Hermione said softly, pressing a finger to his lips. "You talk too much, do you know that?" Harry shrugged.

"People have said so…" Before Harry knew what was happening, Hermione's lips were pressed against his. He pulled her body closer to him, enjoying the feeling of her small form against him. She pulled away slightly and for several moments they lay in each other's arms, listening to the other's breaths. He pressed his lips to hers once again, noticing how full and soft her lips were. Opening his eyes, he deepened their kiss and watched her eyelids flutter in pleasure. He slowly brushed his tongue across her lips, requesting entrance. Hermione let out an audible whimper and opened her mouth to him. Harry's hands became so in Hermione's soft curls that he did not think he would ever free them. Their kisses became so passionate that Hermione lost the battle she had been fighting to contain the moans she longed to release from escaping her lips. Harry's hands drifted from Hermione's hair and slipped down her neck, slowly pulling at the shoulder straps of her nightgown. Hermione knew that if they didn't stop soon, there would be no stopping, and with her current injuries she _couldn't _go further. With extreme reluctance, Hermione pulled away. Harry looked up at her, noticing her flushed cheeks, messy hair, and trembling lips. Harry gently stroked her cheek with his thumb, causing her eyes to flutter. Harry could think of nothing to say, but words didn't seem to be needed. Hermione snuggled up against him and let out a long, low sigh. While there was still a war to be fought, and the secret that the Order hoped existed to Voldemort's weakness to be discovered, but in that moment, Harry did not care. He was simply happy that maybe, just maybe, he'd finally secured the one thing he had not believed he ever would: Hermione.


	4. Siege of an Ice Continent

munlleca: thanks

sin.nighthawk: thanks

pstibbons: thanks, and the answer is seven years, eleven months, three weeks, and four days. No joke.

wasu: thanks

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Chapter 4

Siege of an Ice Continent

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The sun had just begun to peek over the horizon when Harry awoke the following morning. For a moment, he was unable to remember why he felt so happy. Then, as though a memory charm had been removed from him, his thoughts drifted onto Hermione. He looked to his left where she had been when he fell asleep. She was gone. Worried, Harry leapt out of bed and made for the door. When he reached it, his scar burned so badly he was certain it would kill him. Even through the pain, one thought registered: Voldemort was furious. Drawing his wand, Harry raced out into the hallway and down a flight of stairs and into the kitchen. Hermione stood at the bar, wand in hand, throwing various belongings in a brown, leather bag. She turned when she heard him approaching.

"I'm sorry, Harry. We've got to go. I've just got a message from Dumbledore. He used his Patronus, so I know it was from him. He says the Ministry of Magic is under attack and the Order is doing its best to hold the Death Eaters back, but they can't do it forever. What's worse, Voldemort is on his way here. Dumbledore is coming to help move the house. We've got to protect the arch I showed you downstairs, no matter the cost." Hermione placed two heavy books in Harry's arms, shoved Harry's Firebolt into her bag (Harry did not ask how she had managed this, as the bag was only about the size of one you would get after shopping at the market) and hurried out of the room. They darted through the house at top speed and threw themselves into the arch room. Hermione sealed the door with her wand and the room was plunged into darkness.

"_Lumos!_" Harry said, saying, in his dire need for illumination, the first spell that came to mind. He cast around with the small beam of light. It came to rest on Hermione, just as she lit a single torch hanging on the wall. Harry lowered his wand and surveyed Hermione in the flickering torchlight.

"What do we do now?" Harry asked her, peering at the large arch which hovered ominously just outside the field of light. Hermione shook her head.

"I… I don't know." she said, sliding slowly down the wall beneath the torch. She rested her back against its hard surface and wrapped her arms around her knees. Harry spotted the bag she had been carrying earlier.

"What is that, anyway?" he asked.

"An _Infiniti Transportato_…." Hermione said, and noticing the confused look on Harry's face, added, "A container of unlimited space. You could put anything in here for any amount of time."

"And where did you get it?" Harry asked.

"Dumbledore gave it to me a few years ago. He seemed to think I might find it useful one day." A sudden crash resounded upstairs, causing Hermione to leap to her feet, wand raised. Harry spun toward the door, pointing his wand, which was still lit, at the door. The door exploded inward with incredible force. The broken wooden door flew across the room and fell through the archway, vanishing instantly. Harry looked up into the snakelike face of Lord Voldemort and his scar seared with pain.

"_Harry Potter_," Voldemort hissed. "Why do you continue to fight me? You have lost everything. The Ministry will fall within minutes and your precious Hogwarts soon after. I have won." Voldemort raised his wand and bellowed, "_Avada Kedavera!_" The spell shot, not at Harry, but at Hermione. The jet of green light missed Hermione by mere centimeters, blasting a crater in the wall behind her. As Harry turned to check on her, Voldemort aimed another spell at him. A wave of purple flame erupted from Voldemort's wand.

"Harry!" Hermione shrieked, looking horrified. Harry had no time to block the curse. The fiery wave rushed toward him far too quickly. Hermione broke into a run and leapt into the path of the fire. The blaze consumed her instantly. She screamed in agony and was thrown across the room, landing only inches from the middle of the arch. Harry's breath caught in his chest. Harry abandoned all thought of Voldemort and rushed to Hermione's side. He groped for her wrist and felt, without even the faintest hope of finding one, for a pulse. Miraculously, incredibly, wonderfully, it was there. While rapid and _terribly_ faint, it was there. This meant one thing, Hermione was still alive. Voldemort advanced on Harry, wand raised.

"_Impedimenta!_" A woman's voice shouted from the doorway. The spell caught Voldemort unawares, he only _just _managed to deflect it. Tonks sent another spell arching toward the dark wizard, Neville along side her, as Ron, Luna, Ginny rushed toward Harry and Hermione.

"Come on, Harry!" Ginny exclaimed as Ron scooped Hermione in his arms and darted past Tonks, who was still furiously dueling Voldemort, running flat out toward the door.

"We've got to go!" Luna told him, pulling him to his feet as Ginny joined Tonks' fight. There was a brilliant flash of green light and Neville dropped to the floor, his eyes wide and staring. Harry's brain barely registered what had happened.

"No, the arch!" Harry tried to explain. "Hermione said we had to protect the arch!"

"I know, Harry." Luna moaned, tugging Harry along. "It'll be fine, just _come on!_" At the doorway, Luna turned, raised her wand and shouted,

"_Protego Totalum!_" There was a flash of blue-white light and Voldemort had gone.

"It won't hold forever," Tonks said, hurrying over to Harry and Luna, Ginny at her heels. "but it'll be fine for as long as we'll be here. Dumbledore is trying to hold back Voldemort's forces at the Ministry. Half of London has been destroyed in the battle. Anyway, Albus taught me the spell to move the house. It's…" Tonks fell silent. Harry understood why. Outside, a massive explosion had cracked the ice. Billions of cracks split the ground, spreading across the frozen tundra like spider webs. The entire continent was literally crumbling away into the ocean. Without waiting another moment, Tonks declared,

"_Teleportato!_" Harry felt the sudden sensation that he associated with Apparation and knew they had left Antarctica far behind.

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The house dropped to the ground just beside the lake on the Hogwarts grounds. Conjuring a fire in the fireplace in the library, Ron carried Hermione through the Floo Network to Hogwarts' hospital wing. Harry and the others followed. It appeared that Hogwarts was being used as a fallback point for the wounded at the Ministry. The hospital wing had been magically expanded to many times its original size. Ron placed Hermione carefully on an abandoned bed, which, considering at least two hundred people filled the ward, had not been an easy thing to find. It was not until one of the many healers summoned from St. Mungo's confirmed that Hermione, while having suffered tremendous injuries from Voldemort's curse, would completely recover in a matter of weeks, and would be decently capable of leaving the ward in a few days, that the loss of Neville really sank in. Never again would they hear his laugh, listen to him discuss his love for plants, nor would they see him do anything ever again. Neville would not, however, be the first loss of the day, nor would he be the last. As the hours dragged by, more news came from the Ministry. Voldemort, who had gone to London after being repelled from Hermione's house, had completely destroyed the continent of Antarctica. Luna had confirmed this when she had returned to see what Voldemort had done and had appeared in the middle of a frigid ocean. Voldemort had all but completely routed the Order of the Phoenix in mere hours. Reports of more deaths had come in throughout the day, but none of them had been confirmed. No one wanted to leave Hermione's bedside, however much of the day was spent preparing the school for battle. The students had been sent home by Side-Along Apparation. The Hogwarts Express could be attacked on its way to London and the Floo Network was monitored at the Ministry of Magic, which was where Voldemort was. Many of Hogwarts' seventh year students remained behind to fight. Harry recalled the shield potion Hermione had shown him back in Antarctica, and desperately wished it was finished; it would have been wonderful to shield Hogwarts from assault. Magically constructed walls encircled the castle. Over thirty feet high and covered in every magical form of protection known, these constructions would hopefully buy the school time. A number of dragons had been brought to Hogwarts by Hagrid and Charlie Weasley. Hermione's house had been shrunk and placed inside Hermione's _Infiniti Transportato_. The protection of the arch outstripped even the protection of the school, Dumbledore had expressly impressed this upon them.

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Voldemort's dire warning that the Ministry would fall within minutes was quickly proven false. For two days the Ministry of Magic had held back the unending tide of evil that seemed to never end. While they were hardly winning, they weren't losing either, and that was some comfort at least. Dumbledore had ordered that everyone inside Hogwarts to remain at the school and not to join the battle. Despite numerous reservations, no one had challenged the headmaster's orders.

Harry, Ron, and Ginny sat in the Great Hall pouring over maps of Hogwarts. They had done everything within their power to ensure the school could repel Lord Voldemort's invasion. Without knowing precisely what he would be bringing, there was no way to be sure.

"I think that's everything." said Harry, yawning widely and folding up the maps. "There's nothing more that we can do."

"You've got a bit of free time then." said Hermione, walking unsteadily toward them. She settled onto a bench next to Harry.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked while the others gazed at her, concerned. "Shouldn't you be in the hospital wing?"

"No," Hermione smiled sheepishly and averted her eyes. "okay, fine. I should… but I wanted to help." she finished with a shrug. Harry took her hand.

"I know you do," he told her quietly. "but you were hurt. You know you aren't up to a fight like the one that's coming."

"I… I could help you plan for the battle." Hermione suggested, clinging to anything that would keep her from returning to the hospital wing.

"We've already done all the planning we can. The school is protected as well as it can possibly be… unless the shield potion of yours can be finished by the time Voldemort arrives." Hermione shook her head.

"That's… out of the question. It's missing something that it _has _to have to make it work. Right now, it's highly unstable." Hermione pulled up the left sleeve of her robe and showed them a large, black burn on her forearm that Harry, despite having seen her in sleeveless nightgowns, had not noticed before. "It can't be used." she finished, pulling her sleeve down again.

"Well, there is one thing we're not comfortable about…" Ginny said, glancing at the others. "We have to command the battle from somewhere. We thought the Great Hall, but…"

"It's too big." Hermione finished her sentence for her. "I'm guessing that you've also considered the dungeons…"

"Only one way out." said Ron.

"And the Chamber of Secrets," continued Hermione.

"Voldemort would expect it." said Harry.

"And the House common rooms."

"That's where we decided on," admitted Harry. "but I don't like it."

"It's completely idiotic." said Hermione tartly. "Not to mention obvious and foolhardy."

"It wasn't _my _idea." said Harry. "It was Ron's." Ron opened his mouth to speak, but Hermione cut across him.

"You are all forgetting about the one place that we can keep safe… the place were we hid our meetings from Umbridge."

"The Room of Requirement!" Ginny exclaimed, a look of dawning comprehension on her face.

"Exactly!" Hermione exclaimed.

"We thought of that." said Ron. "We couldn't think of a way to prevent Voldemort from getting in."

"You just have to word the request right. A great deal about magic has to do with proper wording. Let's see…" Hermione picked up a quill, pulled a sheet of parchment toward her and began to write, speaking aloud as she did so.

"We need a place to organize ourselves properly for battle. Someplace that nobody not loyal to the Order of the… no, to the Ministry… perhaps to Hogwarts… No, to Dumbledore. Yes, a place to organize the defense of Hogwarts that no one who is not loyal to Albus Dumbledore can find. A place where we can see the grounds of Hogwarts clearly, but those outside cannot see in. And if someone does manage to breach the room, there will be a second passage that will lead to anywhere the seeker needs it to. It will only appear when those inside the room are in danger and when someone loyal to Dumbledore outside the room needs in. Oh, and anybody not loyal to Dumbledore, Hogwarts, and the Ministry of Magic that enters any of the entrances to the room will instantly be killed. It might be a good idea to make the room Unplottable, too." she added as an afterthought. Harry, Ron, and Ginny exchanged glances.

"Hermione," said Harry. "you have got to be to most amazing woman I have ever had the great fortune to meet." Hermione shrugged.

"So, what happened…?" she asked. "In Antarctica, I mean. I asked Tonks before I left the hospital wing, but she just started crying, I…" The other three looked suddenly close to tears.

"Erm… Hermione…" Ron began, looking over at Harry. "Why don't you tell her?"

"Well," Harry began slowly. "when you were hit by Voldemort's spell, I went to make sure you were alive and Voldemort almost killed me. Tonks showed up with Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Neville. Tonks, Neville, and Ginny battled Voldemort while Ron carried you out of the room. There was so much chaos… Neville, he… Voldemort killed him. I… I don't know what happened."

"My god…" Hermione whispered, looking thunderstruck. "Neville…" No one spoke for a long moment. Then, without warning, Hermione burst out,

"All because of that goddamn arch." she screamed. "I don't even know what it does…"

"Then figure it out." Harry said quietly. "Make Neville's death mean something." Hermione nodded, but couldn't seem to bring herself to speak.

"So, he's really coming, then?" Ginny said after several minutes.

"Dumbledore seems to believe so. He sent a message yesterday saying that the Ministry was holding its own, but not to assist the battle in London." said Harry. "I don't think he believes we're going to win the war at the Ministry."

"We didn't!" Luna exclaimed, rushing toward them from the Entrance Hall, clutching a letter in her hand. "I just got this letter from Remus Lupin." She held it out for the others to read.

The battle in London is over. The Ministry of Magic has been destroyed.

Rufus Scrimgeour and Albus Dumbledore are dead.

Voldemort is on his way to Hogwarts.

Be prepared.


	5. Eve of War

pstibbons: How Tom found Hermione is a major story plot point. You'll find out in time. Eliminating Dumbledore like that was something I chose to do because I wanted to cut Harry off from his one source of knowledge and advice.

munlleca: Thanks

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Chapter 5

Eve of War

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The five friends stared blankly at each other. Dumbledore… dead? It simply could not be. Dumbledore was the beacon of hope and power their side so desperately needed. Dumbledore simply could not have died… Even Voldemort had feared him. Harry looked across the table at Hermione.

"Can you do it?" he asked. She stared back at him blankly for a moment, then a look of sudden understanding crossed her face.

"I… don't know."

"You said yourself that arch could end the war…." Harry told her.

"_Dumbledore _said that." Hermione responded. "I… I can try to solve the mystery, but I'll need time…. much more than we have."

"How much time?" Ginny asked. Hermione shrugged.

"No idea…" she told them regretfully. "it could take weeks to discover what that arch does, and even then, it may not be useful." Noticing the hopeless looks on their faces, she added, "I'll do what I can in the time I have, but… but if Hogwarts falls…"

"Fine." said Harry sharply. "The letter said Voldemort is on his way. We'll only have minutes to prepare a defense…"

"Voldemort will wait until morning." said Luna in her dreamy voice, staring pleasantly up at the ceiling. Everyone turned to stare at her.

"Why do you say that?" Ron asked.

"Because, as everyone knows, a terrible darkness roams the school and its grounds after dark. Why do you think students are required to be in at a certain time?" Ron rolled his eyes behind his wife's back. In earlier days Ron had told Harry that he truly loved Luna, but he often could not resist laughing a some of her more ridiculous ideas. Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Hermione cut him off.

"Be that as it may, I think we should prepare for Voldemort's arrival with great haste. Perhaps Voldemort won't be concerned with this 'terrible darkness'." Harry, Ron, and Ginny all nodded, while Luna continued to stare dreamily up at the black clouds swirling overhead.

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Voldemort was at the gates. The dark wizard had assembled his forces on the edge of the Forbidden Forest by nightfall, and, despite the complete insanity of what Luna had said, waited for dawn. Inside Hogwarts, things were quiet. The Great Hall had been quadrupled in size by a charm of Hermione's own invention, and her house had been placed inside it. Despite her injuries, Hermione worked tirelessly to discover the mystery of the arch their old headmaster had stressed was so important. By midnight, Hermione had discovered very little about the arch and collapsed on the couch in the library with Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Luna.

"How'd it go?" Harry asked as Hermione rested her head on his shoulder.

"Terribly." Hermione said quietly. "That arch… I don't know why Dumbledore thought it could be useful. All I've managed to figure out is that the damn thing sucks _everything _through it. I have no idea where it goes, or what happens to it." Harry sighed and wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulders.

"It's okay, Mione." Harry told her. "We know you did your best. We couldn't have asked for anything more from you."

"What about the other stuff down there?" Ron inquired. "All those other weapons and things? Can't we use those?" Hermione's brow furrowed.

"Unless you know of a way to make them view Hogwartians as friendly and any of Voldemort's minions as hostile, they'll be just as big of a threat as Voldemort. That spinning crystal would attack us just as soon as it would attack the Death Eaters." No one had anything to say to this statement. The silence remained for several minutes until Hermione announced that she was going to bed. She bade the others goodnight and vanished up the stairs. After several minutes, Harry decided to make sure Hermione was sleeping soundly, and left the others alone.

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Harry climbed up the numerous winding staircases, hoping he would happen across Hermione's bedroom before morning. After half an hour of searching, he discovered her bedroom door on the second floor, across from a broom cupboard. He had a short, silent argument with the door, which spoke in an infuriatingly squeaky voice, because it refused to allow him in until it was certain Hermione was decent. Unfortunately, the door also refused to check if she was clothed because it seemed to believe Harry would attempt to sneak past if it looked the other way. Harry had given the door a very rude hand gesture when Hermione opened the door, pulling the left shoulder strap of her nightgown into place. She spotted the hand gesture Harry was still making and looked up at him questioningly.

"Oh…" said Harry, shoving both hands into his pockets. "I… the door was…" Hermione merely smiled at him and stood back to let him in.

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Back downstairs, the conversation had not yet continued. Neither Ron, nor Luna, nor Ginny cared to speak at all. Hogwarts was a lost cause, they all knew. They could not hope to defend the castle the following day. Dumbledore had left them with nothing, nothing but empty promises of fabled powerful artifacts that were completely worthless… and now Voldemort controlled the magical government, only God knew what that would mean. There had been no further word from London since the letter had arrived. Tonks had been inconsolable since hearing the news, fearing as she did for her husband's life. None of them had really tried to comfort her, as they felt little better than she did. As the hours wore on, Ginny left Ron and Ginny to themselves, departing to a bedroom Hermione had granted her for the night. Ron and Luna sat together for a while longer, before climbing the stairs to bed themselves.

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Harry stepped inside Hermione's room. Hermione closed the door behind him and did not speak. She simply stared at him as he moved toward her, lost for words. Harry pulled her into his arms. She was surprised at how marvelously gentle his touches were, despite his rough hands that the constant conflict had given him. Harry brought his lips to hers with a burning passion. Hermione's breath caught in her throat, and she melted into his arms. His hands found their way into Hermione's dark brown curls, following the silky locks down her back to her waist and back up again. He scooped her into his arms, causing her to yelp in surprise. He carried her to the bed and gazed into her hazel eyes, as though asking permission. She nodded. Hermione had been told not to by the Healers, not with her injuries… but in this moment, after all the loss, she did not care. He placed her gently upon the soft blankets and removed her clothes with loving care. She let out a whimper of pleasure as he moved over her and became very still. His fingertips explored her exposed skin, his hands memorizing every part of her angelic form. His lips traced fiery kisses down her collarbone and along her chest, causing her eyelids to flutter in pleasure. She sighed and closed her eyes as he slid his fingers between her thighs. She gasped at the unexpected contact, arching her back off of the bed. He gently stroked her, his eyes not leaving hers. Her legs parted and she moaned quietly, her breath becoming quicker. He continued until he pushed over the edge, until she was begging him to finish his work. Harry felt his way up her body and captured her lips in a passionate kiss. Hermione began tearing at his clothes, fighting against the offending material. At long last, she succeeded in shedding all of his clothing. Harry reached around her and pulled her up into a sitting position. His hands tracing the cuts and gashes on her back, injuries he could not see, but knew were there. He looked up into her soft eyes. Her hazel orbs burned a message into his own eyes. 'It wasn't your fault.' He gave a tiny nod, leaning her back against he feathery soft pillows. He slid over her and she opened herself to him. He stared down into her eyes, once again making a silent bid for permission. She gripped his hand tightly in her own, kissing his knuckles. Gently, oh so very gently, he met her. Fire and lightening coursed through them. A boiling flame exploded between them, and time seemed to stop. It was as though nothing else in the universe mattered in that moment. They were as close as was possible, so close Harry could feel the fire burning through her, a heat so intense Harry was certain the room was ablaze. A passion so complete surrounded them, a pleasure that was certain to consume them both. Soon, they were moving together. They melted together, unable to separate even if they had wanted to. They became lost in each other. The world no longer mattered. Neither one of them cared that Voldemort waited outside. The universe around them vanished, only they existed. All too quickly, it seemed, waves of pleasure like nothing either of them had felt before washed over them. Hermione's scream echoed off her bedroom walls as currents of electricity coursed though her. Harry's strength gave and he collapsed onto her, his slick skin sticking to Hermione's. As their bodies began to calm, the world around them fell back into place and they lay beside each other with skin cooling from the searing heat. He tilted his head toward Hermione. Her skin glistened like glass in the sun, her dark hair almost black with their combined sweat.

"H… Hermione…?" Harry said, gasping for breath. She did not answer immediately. Her chest heaving from exhaustion, and trembling heavily, she looked up at him.

"…yes, I…" Her eyes fluttered open. "That… that was…"

"Words aren't enough to describe it." Harry murmured. As Harry's eyes locked with Hermione's, he realized just how much he loved her. It was beyond anything he had ever felt before. A love so complete, so overwhelming, he knew he would do anything for her. He would go to any length, give up anything, to protect her… to keep her safe. Hermione shifted, becoming wrapped in the bed sheet as though it were a toga, and pressed herself against Harry. He arms wrapped around her gently as she slipped off the sleep. It felt to both of them that only seconds had passed, but it was sure to have been hours. A scream split the drowsy silence, startling both of them from their sleepy embrace. Harry sat up at once. Hermione propped herself up on one elbow, raising herself just enough so she would not block Harry's view out of the window. A brilliant light illuminated the room. Dawn had arrived… and Voldemort was on the move.


End file.
